Trainer and jockey quotes after Cafe Millenium takes out the Listed Tontonan Stakes at Flemington on Saturday.
Race Result:
1st: Cafe Millenium (B, W & J Hayes/C Gaudray) - $9.00
2nd: Transatlantic (T Gollan/B Shinn) - $5.00 fav
3rd: Rise At Dawn (B, W & J Hayes/M Dee) - $7.00
Winning Time: 1:22.09 Last 600m: N/A
Margins: Short Half Head x 1-½ lengths
It's great to see that Celine Gaudray is building a great affinity with Cafe Millenium.
— Racing.com (@Racing) September 13, 2025
She retains her unbeaten record on the gelding & wins on her sole ride for the day pic.twitter.com/ExWacBikcN
Winning Trainer: Ben, Will & JD Hayes (JD speaking)
On the win: "It was great to see him get his head down, a terrific ride by Celine. She comes in and does a lot of work for us, especially out of Pakenham. And for her to be rewarded, I'd like to thank Ron Finnemore for rewarding her because she got the job done in Adelaide. She's ridden beautifully, and just a terrific result."
On the horse: "To be honest, he came down a great product. John O'Shea and Tom Charlton did a great job with him, just a little bit of a change in environment, I think he's found his rhythm here. He's been very consistent for us, and he's just getting better with age. So that was a terrific win that gave us a big thrill."
Spring plans: "Very open-minded. We've got a few plans in place, a bit of alternative thinking. I thought the stablemate, Rise At Dawn was very brave there too, to hold on at a fast pace. He's just a very, very tough horse that refuses to lay down, and I'm very happy with both horses efforts."
"The Sandown Stakes on Grand Final day. My team's knocked out, so I'll be there. But then Cafe Milennium could possibly be a Big Dance horse as well, so we'll just see how the dust settles. Talk with the team as we always do, but they're both on track for a nice spring."
Winning Jockey: Celine Gaudray
How the race unfolded: "It's good to see he's come on good from Adelaide, going to the gates today he just felt terrific. Really strong performance, luckily there was good speed, he relaxed beautifully and I was able to get rolling from the 600 (metres) because he doesn't have an amazing turn of foot but a nice, strong building gallop."
On the win: "Probably a stronger, more competitive field today and when that horse was on his inside he was very competitive and kicked on again, so a very strong win."
Spring ahead: "It's not very easy to get opportunities especially coming out of my apprenticeship late last year but the Hayes boys have given me this opportunity and also a few other trainers, I really really appreciate it."
